Cord

Howard

A 25-year-old former UDFA out of Georgia Tech, Howard played in ten games for Buffalo in 2010, starting four. Howard did not make it into any 2011 games.

Howard is coming off shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and damaged rotator cuff. He’s already begun practicing, which is a good sign for his chances of earning a roster spot as a reserve.

Undrafted rookie Cord Howard will take over as the starting right tackle for the reeling and hopeless 0-5 Bills. “It’s stuff he’s been dealing with,” coach Chan Gailey said of Green’s injury. “It got a little worse, and we let it go. He probably pushed it too far last week and it’s cost him a few games.”

Rinehart split time with Cordaro Howard in Week 14 but outplayed him. “Chad played a lot better than I anticipated he would,” Gailey said. “We’ll go through the rest of the week, but the way he played, he certainly deserves to start this week and we’ll see how we handle the rotation and how we work that.”

Fortunately, Ryan Fitzpatrick is one of the NFL’s most mobile quarterbacks. Built like a guard at 6'4/315, the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket will square off against Cory Redding and Jarrett Johnson this week. The Ravens D/ST has been a disappointment this year, but this matchup is too good to pass up.

Wrotto replaced Howard for a series in the first half and the entire second half in Week 9. “Cordaro’s shoulder is just too weak right now to go play a whole ballgame,” coach Chan Gailey said. Most of Wrotto’s NFL experience is at guard, though he played tackle for Gailey when they were both at Georgia Tech.

Howard battled through the injury for much of the season. He won’t be guaranteed a roster spot next season, so he’ll have to be fully recovered by training camp to fight for a job.